Turajlic lab

Cancer Dynamics Laboratory

One of the greatest challenges in cancer medicine is understanding and predicting the trajectory of individual cancers.

As a multi-disciplinary group of cancer geneticists, computational biologists and clinician scientists we are using methods from evolutionary biology to understand the variable natural history of individual cancers, and most critically the emergence of metastases and drug resistance.

We are applying evolutionary principles to the question by studying the forces that shape cancer evolution and use this knowledge to improve patient outcomes.

We are focusing on two cancers, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is the most common type of kidney tumour, and melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. RCC and melanoma exhibit a wide spectrum of clinical behaviour, some are indolent, others extremely aggressive and we want to know how this relates to their evolutionary trajectory.

Our primary aim is to enhance patient outcomes by applying a deep evolutionary understanding of cancer.

We strive to:

• Predict and personalise treatment: develop accurate predictive models to tailor treatments based on individual cancer evolution.
• Uncover mechanisms of resistance: identify and understand the genetic and environmental factors that drive resistance to therapies, enabling the development of more effective treatment strategies.
• Innovate therapeutic approaches: utilise insights from our research to innovate new therapeutic approaches, including potential vaccines and personalised medicine, that can disrupt cancer evolution and improve prognosis.
• Collaborate for comprehensive solutions: work with clinical and pharmaceutical partners to translate our research findings into real-world clinical applications, ensuring that our discoveries lead to tangible improvements in cancer care.

Through these efforts, our lab aims to fundamentally alter the landscape of cancer treatment, making therapies more effective and tailored to individual patient needs, ultimately improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients worldwide. 

We work with a wide range of clinical and pharmaceutical partners and our work is underpinned by large-scale translational studies including TRACERx Renal and VAULT. 

We also work with large-scale datasets generated by the 100K Genome Project. Our lab is deeply engaged in extensive lab work, employing a variety of advanced technologies and methodologies. Our primary techniques include whole genome, exome, single cell and RNA sequencing, as well as multiplex IHC with cutting-edge spatial technologies, genome editing and patient-derived models.